Making Money in the Informal Sector Is Easy — If You’re Not Lazy or in Love With Spending
In Botswana, many people are struggling financially, yet money is moving every single day. It moves in kombis, at bus ranks, on street corners, in WhatsApp groups, at flea markets, in yards, and through phones. The problem is not that money is hard to find. The problem is mindset.
The informal sector is one of the easiest places to make money. Not because it’s glamorous, but because it rewards effort. It does not care about your certificates, your accent, or your background. It only cares if you show up and solve a problem.
But it has no mercy for two types of people:
People who love spending money, and people who are lazy.
We Were Taught the Wrong Starting Point
From a very young age in Botswana, we are taught one main formula for success:
Go to school → get good grades → get a high-paying office job → succeed.
School is important, yes. Education matters. But the lie is that this is the only path. Or that it is even the fastest or safest path anymore.
Office jobs are few. Salaries are fixed. Promotions are slow. And retrenchments happen without warning. Meanwhile, we walk past people every day making cash — daily — doing things we were told are “beneath us”.
Car washers.
Street food sellers.
Phone repair guys.
Hair braiders working from home.
People selling clothes on WhatsApp.
Guys fixing TVs, fridges, and phones.
People reselling groceries, gas, airtime, and data.
Most of them did not wait for permission. They woke up and started.
The Informal Sector Is Not Hard — It’s Demanding
Let’s be honest. The informal sector is not easy in the lazy sense. You don’t clock in at 8 and leave at 4. You don’t get paid whether customers come or not. You don’t have a boss to blame.
You must wake up.
You must move.
You must talk to people.
You must repeat boring tasks.
That’s where many people fail.
They want money, but they also want comfort.
They want freedom, but they hate discipline.
They want success, but they don’t want to look “small” while building it.
Money does not respect pride.
Loving Money vs Loving to Spend Money
Many people say they want money. What they actually love is spending money.
New phones on credit.
Expensive weekends.
Alcohol every Friday.
Status purchases before stability.
The informal sector requires reinvestment. Today’s profit must become tomorrow’s stock. If you make P200 and spend P180 the same day, you are working hard to stay broke.
People who succeed informally delay pleasure. They reuse profits. They grow slowly but consistently.
If you hate seeing money sit and work, you will never grow it.
December Is When Money Moves the Most
December holidays are usually the best time to make money in the informal sector. This is when many people are happy, relaxed, and ready to enjoy life. It is also the time when people receive bonuses, savings, and payouts from motshelo and other savings groups.
During December, people spend more on:
Food and meat
Drinks and entertainment
Clothes and hair
Transport and convenience
Cleaning, repairs, and quick services
This is the season where money changes hands fast. Informal traders who prepare early, stock up, and show up daily make serious money. Those who wait for January to “start something” miss the biggest opportunity of the year.
December does not reward laziness. It rewards readiness.
Nothing Is Beneath You When You’re Building
Some people would rather stay broke than do work they consider “low”.
“I can’t sell at the bus rank.”
“I can’t wash cars.”
“I can’t sell food.”
“I went to school for that.”
But dignity does not come from the type of work. It comes from independence. It comes from feeding your family without begging. It comes from controlling your time.
No job is beneath you when it puts food on the table.
Many office workers are one missed paycheck away from disaster. Many informal traders may not look rich, but they control their income.
Informal Money Is About Solving Small Problems
You don’t need big ideas. You need awareness.
People need:
Food
Transport
Repairs
Convenience
Time-saving services
If you can solve one small problem better, faster, or closer than the next person, you can make money.
You don’t need motivation. You need consistency.
School Did Not Prepare Us for This Reality
School trained us to follow instructions, not to look for opportunity. To pass exams, not to spot gaps. To wait for approval, not to take initiative.
That’s why many educated people struggle outside formal employment. The informal sector is practical. It rewards action more than theory.
This doesn’t mean school failed. It means school was incomplete.
The Truth Nobody Likes to Hear
If you are broke:
You probably wake up late
You probably spend faster than you earn
You probably wait for “perfect ideas”
You probably think some work is beneath you
The informal sector exposes these habits very quickly.
It is not kind to excuses. But it is fair.
Final Thought
Money is not scarce in Botswana. Discipline is.
The informal sector is open to anyone willing to wake up, move, learn, and stay humble. It does not promise comfort, but it offers control.
And control, over time, becomes freedom.
If you are willing to get your hands dirty, ignore opinions, delay pleasure, and stay consistent — making money is not as hard as we were taught to believe.
It was never about intelligence.
It was never about certificates.
It was about effort, humility, and respect for money.
